A JUNIOR chef is celebrating after winning a Jamie Oliver-style competition and a 12-month contract to work at a restaurant.

James Dainton, aged 16, beat off competition from three other chefs to win top prize in the Chef's Challenge.

The winner was announced after the quartet served up a feast for nearly 60 diners in the grand finale of the competition.

James and the other contestants - Louise Wardak, Louise Rigby and Gareth Mason, all aged 16 - served up a five-course meal for 58 people at a charity dinner at the Paragon restaurant in Horwich last weekend.

The four have spent the last six weeks learning their trade under the watchful eye of Horwich chef Mike Harrison, who is running Chef Challenge in conjunction with Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

James, who used to attend Westhoughton High School, will now work at the Chorley Old Road restaurant next year.

He said: "It was a superb feeling to win the competition - although I did not expect to - and I'm looking forward to working at the restaurant."

The competition was run along similar lines to Jamie Oliver's Channel 4 show "15", in which 15 teenagers were chosen from obscurity and turned into chefs.

Mr Harrison said it had been very difficult to pick the junior chef to work at his restaurant.

He said: " All four of them worked extremely hard. They all have the talent and ability to go on to become full-time chefs. But James is ready to become a chef now and is fully committed to a career in catering. He also has leadership abilities which he displayed in the kitchen.

"I spoke to all four of them, and said I was proud of them and would support them in any way to get a job."

During the six weeks, contestants travelled to Jamie Oliver's restaurant, cooked for hungry firefighters and learnt a variety of catering skills.

The competition is in its second year, and Mr Harrison hopes to run a similar event next year.